Cash and parcel transmitting apparatus for store-service



(No Model.) 4 Sh eets-Sheet 1.

E. I. BLOUNT, O. A. KIMPTON & W. H. GILMAN. CASH AND PARCEL TRANSMITTING APPARATUS FOR STORE SERVICE...

No. 337,808. Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

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(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 2.

E. I. BLOUNT, O. A. KIMPTON & W. H. GILMAN. CASH AND PARCEL TRANSMITTING APPARATUS FOR STORE SERVICE,

No. 337,808. Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

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B. I.- BLOUNT, U. A. KIMPTON & W. H'. GILMAN. CASH AND PARCEL TRANSMITTING APPARATUS FOR STORE SERVICE.

Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

(No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4. E. I. BLOUNT, O. A. KIMPTON & W. H. GILMAN.

CASH AND PARCEL TRANSMITTING APPARATUS FOR STORE SERVICE.

Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

INVENTDRE za -wzzzmw' W'TNE55E5 Z. WZWZZ 422 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

EUGENE I. BLOUNT, OF CAMBRIDGE, AND CHARLES A. KIMPTON AND WIL- LABD H. GILMAN, OF BOSTON, ASSIGNORS TO THE GIUMAN CASH RAIL- TVAY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CASH AND PARCEL TRANSMITTING APPARATUS FOR STORE-SERVICE.

EPQCIFTCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,808. dated March 16, 1886.

SerialNo. 183,245. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EUGENE I. BLoUN'r, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, and CHARLES A.

KIMPTON and \VILLARD H. GILMAN, both of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State aforesaid, have invented certain Improve ments in Cash and Parcel Transmitting Apparatus for StoreService, &c., of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specifica tion, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved carrier-receiver in its normal position,

its lower movable portion being up in proximity to the under side of the stationary portion, and a carrier being shown at the instant of leaving the track. Fig. 2 is a view repre- 2o senting the upper or stationary portion, with one carrier on its closed bottom, and the lower or movable portion down with another carrier therein. Fig. 3 is a view representing the lower portion of the receiver a short distance beneath the stationary portion, with a carrier falling through the bottom of the latter. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation showing the device by which the movable portion of the receiver is automatically raised. Fig. 5 is a section of 0 said device. Fig. 6 represents the form of spring employed in closing the movable bottom of the stationary portion of the receiver. Fig. 7 represents a two-wheel carrier in an upright position upon a single-rail track,

5 said carrier being provided with our improved tripping device. Fig. 8 is a view of the same in the act of being automatically derailed; Fig. 9, a View of our carrier-tripping device detached. Fig. 10 is a detail, to

0 be referred to.

The aim of our present invention is to provide a simple and reliable means for the prompt reception and disposition of two or more carriers belonging to and arriving at the 5 same station with but short intervals elapsing between the times of. their arrival; and this invention consists in a carrier-receiver having an upper stationary portion provided with a movable bottom, and a lower movable portion raised and supported in its normal position close under the stationary portion by a helical spring or other suitable power. and brou ht down within reach of the salesman against the resistance of said spring or power into a position for him to remove the carrier therefrom.

Our invention also consists in certain mech anism by which the movable bottom of the stationary portion of the carrier-receiver is opened by the ascent of the movable portion 6) of said receiver.

Our invention also consists in the mechanism for elevating the lower or movable portion of the carrier-receiver, and in the details relating to the general construction of the re 6 ceiver.

Our invention furthermore consists in novel tripping devices for wheel-carriers automatic ally derailed from single-rail tracks.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and apply our invention, we will proceed to describe the manner in which it is carried out.

In the said drawings, A represents the ceiling of a store, from which depend a series of 5 rods or posts, B, one more in number than those of the stations on the single-rail forwarding and return tracks C D, one post at each station. The office of each post and the ap' pliances connected therewith being the same a description of the mechanism of one station will suffice for all of them. To each post are secured the supports a b of the forwarding and return tracks C D, and the supports a, for the receiver E G of the wheel-carriers H, two or more of which of like construction belong ex clusively to each station. The post also has connected therewith the support d, for the carrier-elevator I, the support 6, for the pulley K, over which passes the cord 15, for raising 0 the elevator, and the support f, for themechanism which automatically raises the lower or movable portion of the carrier-receiver, each of said supports a b c d c f being adapted to slide on the post B, and when adjusted to the required height being secured in place by a clamp or set-screw.

Although we shall in this application show and briefly describe a carrier-elevator and a movable singletrack section swung up there- .by, in order that a more comprehensive idea may be given of the relation between them and our carrier-receiver, we shall not herein claim said elevator and movable track-section, as they form the subject-matter of another application for patent made simultaneously herewith by Eugene LBlount and Charles A.Kimpa ton. two of the within-named applicants.

The carrier-receiver E G consists of two essential portions, viz: a stationary upper portion, E, preferably of metal, and composed of two oval hands, y, having a space interposed 5 between them, the lower band, 9, being of slightly less diameter than the upper band, 9, and being connected therewith by tie-pieces h.

To the under side of the lower band, at points opposite each other. in the direction of o the conjugate or longer diameter, are pivoted two equal portions or halves of a thin metal \bottom, L, which meet on a central line corresponding to the transverse or shorter diameter of the lower oval band, 9, the pivots of 5 these half portions being short pins 2, Figs. 2 and 6, extending between lugs 16, projecting from the bottom of the lower band, 9, each pivot-pin being surrounded by a spiral spring, 17, one end of which is secured to the pin and o the other end to the outer edge of the movable half-bottom, by which construction the two halves are swung up into their normal horizontal position for closing the under side of the upper stationary portion, E, of the re- 5 ceiver. I

To each side of the lower oval hand g of the stationary portion of the receiver is pivoted a Weighted lever, M, bent in the form shown,

- Fig. 3, and having a lower hooked end, 18,

a which looks its half of the bottom L when closed orin its horizontal position, Fig. 2. The hooked ends of the two weighted lockinglevers face in opposite directionsone to the right and one to the left-and each hooked 5 end is inclined to allow of the edge of one of the halves of the'bottom to slide thereon (into the notch) as it tips the lever back when the bottom is coming up into its closed position.

19 is a short pin or stop, located at the back of and in the path of each locking-lever,'to prevent it from being accidentally swung out of its locking position.

The lower or movable portion,.G, of the carrier-receiver is of the same general form as and slightly larger than the upper stationary portion, E, (approaching the shape of a longitudinally-divided egg-shelh) but its surface may be closed, perforated, or formed of wire-netting. This lower portion in its 0 normal position is located in proximity to the under side of the upper portion, E.

The inside of both portions E G, including the movable bottom L of the upper portion, is preferably covered with some soft material 5 to cushion and prevent the noise which would otherwise arise from the fall of the carriers into the receiver as they leave the returntrack D.

Projecting above the top of the oval rim of the lower portion, G, and at opposite ends of the minor diameter thereof are two projections, 20, which, when this portion of the receiver is elevated, press upward against the upper bent arms, 21, of the levers M, and releasetheir hooked ends from contact with the under side of the halves of the bottom of the v stationary portion E, by which construction, if a carrier falls from the track upon the closed bottom (when the locking-leversare thus re'-. leased) the weight of the carrier will overcome the tension of the springs which hold the bottom up in its closed position, and will cause its halves to be depressed" and open away from each other to permit of the descent by gravity of the carrier down into the lower portion, G, of the receiver thereunder. tom of the upper portion, E, when locked, however, will support and retain the carrier as it drops thereon when derailed from the track. This movable portion G is kept up automatically under the stationary portion E by cords 21, or other flexible connections from its top to a spring-actuated mechanism, one form of which is as follows: Projecting from the supportf is a stud or stationary pin, 1, on which revolves an annular casing,- N, which incloses a helical or clock spring, m, one end of which is secured to the inside of the casing and the other end tothe stationary stud I.

,Also pivoted to this studa're twogrooved pulleys, P, formed integralwith or secured to the Secured to the top or rim of the lower portion, G,of the carrier-receiver are rolls 22, under which is guided the elevating-cord.

By the employment of a carrierreceiver constructed in accordance with our invention, several carriers belonging to and arriving at the same station at short intervalsof time between them, may be promptly' and conveniently received and disposed of as they are successively automatically derailed from the track.

The carriers which we employ on this singlerail track are of the class described in Letters Patent No. 318,719, granted to Willard H. Gilman, each carrier having two wheels and graduated tripping devices operated by graduated tripping devices projecting from the The bottrack and automatically derailed at their respective stations.

Two or more carriers of like construction and correspondingly-graduated tripping devices are provided for each station.

The carriers of one station differ from those of another station only in the length or direc tion of their tripping devices.

The tripping devices of the carriers are so arranged at varying distances relative to the track that when the carriers are thereon the tripping devices of the carriers belonging to the first station occupy a position nearer the track than the tripping devices of the carriers belonging to the next station, this dis tance of the carrier-tripping devices from the track increasing slightly with each succeeding carrier to the last one belonging to the most remote station, by which arrangement a carrier belonging to the last station is free to pass all the tripping devices of the track-stations, except the last one where it belongs, the length of the last tripping device of the track corresponding thereto being such asto oppose its passage.

A form of carrier-trippingdevice embodied in this invention will now be described.

R is a cylindrical receptacle, Figs. 7 and 8, in which are deposited the cash and parcel and record of its sale. From each end of the receptacle risesastandard, p p, and near the center of the receptacle rises a similar standard, 1)". Extending through the tops of these standards is a longitudinal rod, q, free to rotate therein. To this rod, just inside each standard p, is secured a stud, 23, having the axis of one of the wheels projecting therefrom. From this construction it will be seen that the two wheels are free to be swung from a vertical position in front to a vertical position in the rear of said standards. To another stud, 24, in close proximity to the stud 23 of the front wheel, is pivoted abent lever, S, Figs. 7 and 9, one end of which terminates in a curved arm, 0', Figs. 8 and 9, which is at right angles to the portion pivoted to the stud 24, and projects into the space between the peripheries of the two wheels, the lower end of this curved arm 1' being located in the path of the tripping device of the track-station to which the carrier belongs. The top of this tripping device also terminates in a hook, s, which is drawn by a spiral spring, 25, down upon and catches over the longitudinal rotating rod q, and serves as a stop to prevent the locking end it of the lever S from coming into contact with the side of the standard 1) after it has slipped behind a catch-plate, 22, secured thereto, Figs. 7 and 10, when the tripping lever S is pressed back by the return of the wheels of the carrier to their proper upright position for location on the track. The curved arm 1' is held normally by the spring t in the path of the corresponding track-tripping device of the station of the carrier to which it belongs.

w is a pin projecting from the central standard, pflwhich serves as a guard for preventing the accidental derailment of a carrier.

From the foregoing description of the tripping device embodied in this application it will be readily understood that when the curved arm 0' of a carrier of a station comes into contact with the tripping device of the track at that station it is raised or tilted up and the receptacle R unlocked from the wheels, and as the center of gravity is changed they are inclined from their upright position, and the equilibrium of the carrier being destroyed it assumes the position seen in Fig. 8, and on being derailed it drops into the upper stationary portion of the receiver always ready to receive it.

\Ve claim- 1. Acarrier-receiver having in its composition two essential features-viz., an upper stationary portion having a movable bottom, into which the carrier drops after it leaves the track, and a lower movable portion for receiving the carrier after having passed through the upper portion, said movable portion being capable of being lowered into a position for the salesman to conveniently remove the carrier therefrom, and of being automaticallyraisedinto proximity with the under side of the stationary portion, for the purpose set forth.

2. The stationary upper portion of a carrier-receiver having a pivoted bottom held closed in its normal position by one or more springs or spring-actuated mechanisn1,in combination with a movable carrier-receiving portion thereunder, which, on its ascent, opens the movable bottom of the stationary portion to allow of the descent of the carrier therefrom into the movable portion of the receiver, for the purpose specified.

3. In combination with the upper stationary portion of a carrier-receiver, a bottom therefor, consisting of two pivoted portions swung up into their normally-closed position by springs, and locked in said position by weighted levers, for the purpose described.

4. The movable portion of the carrier-receiver, with its projections, in combination with and for tripping the weighted levers and unlocking the movable bottom of the station ary portion of the carrier-receiver, substantially as shown and specified.

5. In combination with the stationary and movable portions of a carrierreceiver,a mechanism for elevating the latter, consisting, essentially, ofa helical spring, a pair of grooved pulleys, and a cord or other flexible connection, substantially as set forth.

6. The guide-rolls 22, in combination with the movable portion of the receiver, its cords 21, and elevating mechanism, as described.

7. A carrier tripping device consisting, essentially, of the bent lever S, with its arm 1', hook s, and locking end a, in combination with and actuated by a spring, as specified.

8. A two-vi heel earrierhaving a receptacle, W'itness our hands this 12th day of N ovem- R, and acentral supporting-standard, p prober, 1885. Y

Vided with a, guard-pin, w, in combination EUGENE I. BLOUNT.

with a. spring-actuated lever, S, having a. OHARLESA. KIMPTON. 5 curved arm, a", and a hook, s, for engaging XVILLARD H. GILMAN.

with the rotating rod q, to which the axes of In presence of the Wheels of the carrier are secured, substan- Y Y N. \VS EEARNS,

tially as described. J AS. W. CHAPMAN. 

